Fame and Fortune: I cash in when the market freaks out

Stephen Dubner is very careful with money because he grew up with nothing. It will make you happy up to a point, he believes, but after that returns diminish sharply (Justin Sutcliffe)

STEPHEN DUBNER, who shot to fame with his book Freakonomics, says he dabbles
in the stock market to test his theories.

The writer teamed up with the prize-winning economist Steven Levitt to explain
in a quirky way how economic theories relate to everyday problems.

The book and its sequel, Superfreakonomics, became bestsellers and the authors
continue to profit from the Freakonomics franchise. They have a weekly radio
show and a blog, and they make money from public speaking.

Their latest book, Think Like a Freak, was published last month. They are also
working with the British former world No 1 golfer Luke Donald on a project
about the economics of the sport.

Dubner, 50, was one of eight children raised in rural poverty by a single
mother, and later moved to New York to become a writer.

He lives in the city with his wife Ellen, a documentary photographer, and